Every morning, we compile the links of the day and dump them here… highlighting the big story line. Because there’s nothing quite as satisfying as a good morning dump
*Boston notched the best single game FG% so far this season last night, they have the best defense in the league right now, and their bench is the league’s most efficient.
“Thomas, along with Avery Bradley, Jae Crowder, David Lee and Jared Sullinger shot a combined 17-of-17 from the field that quarter.
That’s a rare form of collective perfection that may not be emulated by any NBA team for the rest of the season.
One stat that certainly has not been matched by any team in the league so far is the 58.6 percent clip they shot on the night. The C’s hit 51-of-87 attempts from the field.
NBA.com: Celtics find near-perfect shooting rhythm vs. Nets
The Celtics are putting together a heck of a run themselves, and instead of basking in the potential of what the Nets pick might become, Celtics followers might want to immerse themselves in the journey of the 2015-16 team.
….
With Friday’s win, the Celtics dropped their defensive rating (points allowed per 100 possessions) to 95.0 for the season, moving them into a tie for the top spot in the league alongside the San Antonio Spurs.
Drink that in for a moment: The Celtics are the best defensive team in the league through the first 15 percent of the season. Boston doesn’t have the obvious superstar talent that most believe is needed to truly compete for a title, but what coach Brad Stevens does have is a hungry and versatile group that’s turned in some inspired basketball over the past two weeks.
ESPN Boston: Focus should be on these Celtics, not the Nets pick
There’s a lot to like about these Boston Celtics, not least of which is their ability to handily defeat lower quality opponents. That ability to take bad teams to the woodshed has given Boston the #4 spot in the NBA in scoring differential. While it doesn’t tell the whole story, scoring differential is a solid predictor of wins and losses, and right now Boston is outscoring its opponents at a division winning level.
Page 2: Boston’s Bench is Best
The Celtics went into Friday’s game leading the NBA in bench points (45.5), third in rebounds (20.0), fifth in assists (9.7), first in steals (4.3), ninth in blocks (2.0) . . . and dead last in turnovers (7.4, whoops!).
Their efficiency differential (their efficiency vs. the opposing team’s efficiency) is 20.5. To put that into perspective, that’s almost double what fourth-ranked San Antonio’s is. Houston ranks last with a −23.0 (and suddenly that blowout win in Houston makes more sense . . .).
And after Friday’s 120-95 win over the Nets, we know those stats are only going to improve. Boston’s bench accounted for 60 of their points, 27 of 41 rebounds, 17 of 19 [actually it was 17 of 39, ed.] assists, and four of nine steals.
Not bad for a second unit.
CSNNE: Celtics’ bench one again proves its worth
Page 3: Dr. Crowder Examines Smart’s Knee
With 9:26 left in the fourth quarter of a 120-95 win against the Brooklyn Nets, Smart had knee-to-knee contact with Thomas Robinson while trying to defend the hoop in transition.
After the whistle, Smart was taken out of the lineup. As he limped into the locker room with a team physician, he flashed the thumbs-up signal to the crowd.
….
Teammate Jae Crowder does not think Smart was seriously injured.
“He’s a little sore,” Crowder said. “I think he’s gonna get checked out right now though. I think he’ll be fine though. It’s precautionary reasons he’s gonna get checked out right now and it sounds like he’ll be OK.”
Marcus can’t seem to buy a break from the injury bug so far this season.
Finally: Billy King
If you’ve ever wondered how you would look if you were an NBA GM, and your boss was a crazy Russian who might or might not have ties to organized crime, and who insisted that you win an NBA championship before his 50th birthday, so you make a blockbuster trade that blows up in your face and you have to travel to Boston to observe the wreckage of your team while the team you traded with boat-races your team, well, this sums it up, pretty much.
The rest of the game recaps:
CSNNE: Celtics demolish Nets in dominant 120-95 win;
NESN: C’s Explode in first half, coast to 120-95 win over Nets;
MassLive: Avery Bradley, Jae Crowder help Boston Celtics smash Brooklyn Nets, 120-95;
Boston Herald: Celtics bounce back, rout lowly Nets;
Boston Globe: Celtics tear Nets to shreds
The rest of the links:
MassLive: Lionel Hollins: ‘I rarely think about’ Brooklyn Nets draft pick going to Boston Celtics;
Brad Stevens: Boston Celtics ‘tripped into’ bringing Avery Bradley off the bench;
Dennis Rodman: Isiah Thomas should’ve had Larry Bird’s spot on the Dream Team
Boston Herald: Net gains on Celtics wish list;
Bulpett: Avery Bradley develops good sixth sense off bench;
NESN: Avery Bradley Is Latest Celtics Player To Thrive In Sixth Man Role;
Celtics Notes: David Lee Seizing Opportunities In Crowded Frontcourt
